Faculty of Management Sciences

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Follow me, I’m right behind you : leading from a complexity viewpoint
(University of Reading, UK., 2008-11) Mason, Roger Bruce
This paper is based on the premise that businesses and their environments are complex adaptive systems (CAS), and are therefore too complex to be ‘managed’ by a single leader. The literature suggests that CASs are self-organising systems and that effective direction and guidance emerges from such self-organisation. Thus, the traditional view of a leader as a decision-maker, instructing and controlling the organisation is inappropriate in a complex/turbulent environment. A qualitative, case study method was used to investigate the leadership activities in four companies, two each in a turbulent industry (computers) and in a stable industry (packaging). Depth interviews were conducted with 31 respondents. Interview transcripts were analysed using NVIVO, and then compared with field notes and documentary analyses. The objective was to identify if a self-organising leadership approach was prevalent in the more successful company in the turbulent industry, and if bureaucratic management was more prevalent in the more successful company in the stable industry. In other words, is self-organising leadership more effective in a turbulent environment? The study has value as it is based on theories not common in the management literature. It is also of value to educators, as many management courses are still based on the assumption of the manager as all-knowing planner and controller. Furthermore, it will be of interest to practitioners who are under pressure from environmental changes, and from societies that are demanding more from their organisations. The findings showed that both the more successful companies, and the less successful computer company, operate via considerable self-organisation principles. Company activities and performance emerge from the interactions amongst the managers, staff and customers, with little direct instructional management from the CEOs. The less successful packaging company managed via the traditional bureaucratic model. These findings and their implications are discussed, and recommendations for further research are made.
The impact of poor supervision on postgraduate students
(Web of Science, 2015-11) Ngcwane, C.N.
In recent years transformation has encouraged an increase in the number of postgraduate students. There is a growing concern worldwide and in South Africa about the quality of postgraduate supervision in higher education institutions and the length of time it takes postgraduate students to complete their studies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact if poor supervision on postgraduate students in order to recommend necessary interventions and encourage quality supervision which benefit all stakeholders. The paper will answer the following question: What are causes and effects of poor supervision on postgraduate students in universities? Students experience different difficulties when they do their postgraduate studies. They experience traditional model of a single supervisor supervising a full-blown thesis. Some supervisors are inexperienced and others lack research method and technical skills. Students suffer silently as they fear victimisation from their so-called supervisor. Some supervisors only care about research outputs. They don’t supervise but demand that students should write articles and publish them. That benefits a supervisor than a student. All students want is to get a degree. These experiences cripple the progress of students and demotivate them. Hence, while there has been a growth in student numbers enrolling for postgraduate studies and research programmes but there has not been a substantial increase in the output of successful postgraduate students. In order to collect the required data for the study, the survey will be used. It is hoped that the data collected will enable the researcher to address the question raised. In this study, the relevant theory will be used to explain the phenomenon.